Highly articulate and well spoken. I don't listen as much to Dawkins as I used to listen to Hitchens - maybe I should.

Ratzinger was a disaster for the Catholic cabal. We should be happy for that - he led so many away. I would to see a survey giving numbers. Now he can fade away - or rot away - and die in a few months or years, and the new pope can work on salvaging the reputation of the church.

Which so far, he seems to be doing. More modest. No gold throne on display. Less ostentatious costuming. Doing the foot washing, even including women's feet to the chagrin of a few critics. We'll see what happens.